Receptacle handle



Oct. 15, 1935.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEE LE u, I I 4 Patented Oct. 15, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE '7 Claims.

This invention relates to baskets and the like, and more particularly tohandles for use with fruit and vegetable baskets.

For a number of years baskets have been used for the purpose ofretaining fruits and vegetables during handling, and particularly duringthe period of marketing which involves the moving and stacking of theproducts during both storage and shipment. It has been found that suchbaskets not only must be sufficiently rigid and durable to permit thehandling in storage and shipment without crushing or in any way injuringthe produce, but that they must be comparatively inexpensive for thereason that the selling price of the produce marketed therein hasusually been such as to prohibit the use of expensive containers.

' In attempting tomeet the demand for inexpensive containers, variousimprovements have been made on basket manufacturing machinery so as topermit rapid manufacture of large numbers of veneer strip baskets atrelatively low cost. The baskets formed on such machines have generallyproven quite satisfactory in use, but difficulty has been experiencedwith the low cost wire handles usually employed on such veneer stripbaskets.

The inexpensive handles generally employed on baskets are formed as aninverted U-shaped yoke with its ends extending through the rim at theupper edges of the basket, which ends are further bent upwardly on theinside of the rim by a clinching device. Such handles are notobjectionable if used solely as a means for moving the baskets with theproduce therein, but it has become the custom to use the basket handlesas a means for retaining the basket covers in position. The covers areprovided with diagonally disposed projections adapted to be extendedthrough the handles and in order to apply such covers, it is necessarythat one of the handles be bent outwardly so as to be drawn over thecooperating projection on the cover with the results that the clinchedends on the inside of the basket rim are bent away from the handle yokeon the outside of the baskets. Therefore further movement of the handleover the projection to its normal position causes the clinched ends toassume a position away from the rim so that they tend to cut or bruisethe basket contents.

The defects in the returned bend clinched handle above referred to havebeen recognized and :handles have been provided with the clinched endspositioned at different angles with a view to overcoming the defects,but so I am aware, all such attempts have proven unsatisfactory for thereason that they failed to overcome the objections previouslyencountered or because further objections have developed as a result ofthe changed construction. 5

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the objectionsheretofore encountered in clinched handles for baskets, and theinvention contemplates the formation of a handle having theinner-clinched ends thereof extending at an 10 acute angle to the armsof the yoke thereof so as to provide a pivot point about which thehandle can be moved for permitting the application of a cover in themanner referred to Without bending of the clinched ends.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a basket andhandle construction in which the handle is formed of a U-shaped wire andis applied to the basket in a single clinching operation in a mannerwhich permits the pivoting of the handle when applying the basket cover.

The invention contemplates additionally a basket and handle constructionin which the handle is provided with clinched arms generally directedtoward each other but arranged at an angle of between 15 and 30 degreesfrom a line intersecting their ends.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a veneer stripbasket having an upper rim and a handle provided with projections at thelower ends of its arms which pasS through the rim and have their freeends extending upwardly and inwardly on the inner side of the rim with,their extreme ends terminating at points spaced a distance substantiallyequal to the width of the rim above the openings in the rim throughwhich the projections extend. The invention still further contemplatesthe provision of such a basket with the handle thereof having theprojecting portions which are positioned within the rim openings eachextending from the respective arm at an obtuse angle with its clinchedend arranged at an acute angle thereto.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent 45 from a consideration ofthe following detailed description when considered in connection withthe accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 illustrates a basket provided with a typ of clinched handleheretofore commonly used, 50 showing the objections to the same whenused with a normal basket cover;

Fig. 2 illustrates the construction shown in Fig. 1 with the handle bentoutwardly as is done in applying the cover; 5

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a basket with a handle made inaccordance with the present invention applied thereto;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the handle pivoted outwardly tothe position assumed in the application of a cover;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the handle removed from the basket andillustrating the angular disposition of the clinched ends of its arms;and

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken through the rim of thebasket and illustrating the handle in elevation.

Now referring to the drawing in detail, the numeral I (Figs. 1 and 2)designates a basket formed of veneer strips 2, having mounted thereon acover 3, which cover has an extending slat 4 which is adapted to projectthrough bent wire handles 5. The handles 5 are each formed withdownwardly extending arms 6, having projections 1 thereon extendingthrough the hoops 8 which form the rim of the basket. At the inner sideof the'rim of the basket the projections I are bent upwardly in the formof a returned bend and are clinched as shown at 9.

It will be seen that When one of the handles is bent outwardly as shownin dotted lines so that it can be then passed over the projection of theslat 4, that the clinched ends 9 will project inwardly of the rim whenthe handle is moved to its normal position and then present sharp pointsagainst which the produce in the basket will contact and be resultantlydamaged.

In the present improved construction as shown in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive,the basket I may be of any well known type having an upper rim II formedwith inner and outer hoops. Two or more handles I2 preferably formed ofwire are provided, each of which has a bail I3 formed with a connectingbar I4 and depending arms I5. The bar I4 is arranged above the rim II adistance sufiicient to permit'a person to grasp the handles for movingthe basket as well asto permit the application of a cover I5 theretohaving its rim I6 resting upon the rim II, with the projections of slatI'I passing through the handles.

Each arm I5 extends downwardly to a point adjacent or slightly below thecenter of the rim II where a rounded bend I8 is provided between the armand a portion I9 which is arranged at an obtuse angle thereto. Due tothis formation of the handles the portions I9 pass through the rim II atan angle to the surface of the outer hoop and therefore the openings 20in the rim are directed in a slightly downward direction inwardly of thebasket.

The portions I 9 each extend inwardly to a point spaced from the surfaceof the inner hoop of the rim I I where it is bent at an acute angle asat H and has its free ends 22 thereof directed inwardly to a point whereit is partially embedded within the rim. The free ends 22 are alsoarranged at an angle in an upwardly direction with the embedded endsbeing spaced upwardly above the openings 2Il a distance substantiallyequal to the length of the walls of said openings. Ends 22 arepreferably directed generally toward each other and the embedded endswill remain in position even when the handle is moved outwardly at thetop, such as is done in applying a basket cover.

In the application of the handle to the normal type of veneer stripbasket having inner and outer hoops to constitute the rim at the upperend, I have found that the most efiicient results are had when the freeends 22 extend at an angle of approximately 20 degrees form an imaginaryline between the openings 20.

I have found in practice that the handle of this invention can beutilized without causing the objectionable bending of the clinched endsof 5 the arms and without causing the splitting of the hoops of the rimof the basket. I have found that the handle may be moved time after timein the application of a cover to a basket without damage thereto andthat the handle is more easily 10 operated and improves with use. WhileI do not insist upon the accuracy of the theory it appears that in theoperation of the handle in the application of a cover to the basket asabove described, the portions I9 thereof slide without undue bindingthrough the openings 29 and that the bends I8 pass into the openings asthe handle pivots about the embedded ends 22. Ends 22 do not becomestrained outwardly as a result of this action and thereby present sharpprojections when the handle is returned to normal position with theresulting damage to the basket contents as the pressure which is appliedthereto does not appear to be sufficient to cause a bending of the ends.

The invention includes in its broader aspect 25 the arrangement of thefree endof the clinching arms I5 so that they will constitute pivotpoints about which the portions I9 move through the openings 29.Although in the preferred form of the invention the arms are arranged toextend generally toward each other they may be directed generally awayfrom each other. I have found that a handle with its arms directed awayfrom each other will operate satisfactorily providing the other featuresof construction as above set forth are incorporated therein.

What I claim is:

1. A receptacle comprising in combination a body unit having a rim andincluding staves and hoops for securing the staves together, with a 4,cover unit including a rim adapted to be engaged upon the rim of thebody, said cover unit having projections extending diametricallyopposite beyond the rim thereof, and handles through which theprojections of I the cover unit extend, said handles being formed ofbails having extensions passing through the rim of the body and thenbent upwardly at an angle of between fifteen and thirty degrees to theedge of the rim of the body unit with their extreme ends each acting asa point to form an axis about which the bail from which it extends maybe moved during the application or removal of the cover unit.

2. In combination a basket having a marginal rim around the upper edgethereof, a wire handle provided with a bail portion and spaced dependinglegs extending downwardly along the outer side of the basket rim, andfastener means for the legs, including a portion extending within anopening in the rim and being arranged at an obtuse angle from the end ofthe respective leg together with a clincher arm, said clincher arms eachextended from the respective obtuse angled portion at an acute angle andupwardly to a plane spaced above the openings a distance substantially55 equal to the length of the wall of the opening through which itsrespective obtuse angled portion extends, whereby pressure exerted uponthe bail in an outward direction when the handle is in its normalupright position will result in the swinging movement of the obtuseangled portion.

3. A container comprising a rim at the upper edge thereof, and a handleformed from a wire strand having a bail portion with spaced dependingarms, said arms terminating'at the lower 15 portions thereof in fastenermeans having portions extending at an obtuse angle to the arms throughopenings formed in the rim of the basket and with clincher arms at anacuate angle to said obtuse angled extending portions, said clincherarms having their ends embedded within the inner wall of the rim in aplane spaced above the openings, thereby to effect the application ofthe handle to the basket to permit the pivotal movement thereof and themovement of the fastener means within the openings generally about theembedded portions as the fulcrum without the substantial bending of theclincher arms.

4. The combination of a basket comprising a body and inner and outerhoops secured to its upper end, of a bail shaped handle and coverfastener disposed on the outer side of the outer hoop and having itsends passed inwardly through loose-fitting openings formed within thehoops, at an obtuse angle to the arms of the bail to a point spacedinwardly from the inner wall of the inner hoop and then at an acuteangle therefrom in the form of clincher arms terminating in a planespaced above the openings and arranged at an angle of approximatelytwenty degrees from a line intersecting the openings.

5. A basket handle comprising a bail and spaced depending arms which arebent at the ends at a. wide angle in excess of into portions extendingin the same general direction and are then bent at relatively sharpangles into portions extending generally toward each other but upwardlyat an angle of between fifteen and thirty degrees from a lineintersecting the wide angled extending portions.

6. A container comprising a rim at the upper edge thereof, and a handleincluding a bail having fastener members integral therewith eachprovided with a portion extending transversely through the rim, each ofthe fastener members also including a clincher arm extending adjacentthe inner wall of the container with its free portion being directedinto contact with the container inner wall at a point materially spacedin a direction longitudinally of the container from the portion of itsrespective fastener member which extends through the rim of thecontainer.

7. A receptacle comprising a handle'adapted to function as a coverretainer, said handle being anchored in the receptacle wall adjacent theupper edge thereof and including a bail portion and spaced dependinglegs extending downwardly along the outer side of the receptacle wallwith each leg being passed through the wall to form anchoring means,said legs being further bent inwardly of the receptacle wall and havingthe free ends thereof directed into contact with the inner surface ofthe wall at points in a plane materially spaced with respect to theplane in which the legs pass through the receptacle wall, the portion ofeach leg extending through the wall being slidably retained therein andmovable about an axis defined by the points of contact of the free endsof the legs with the inner surface of the receptacle wall.

JOHN J. BACON.

